Astronomers are planning a massive 250-foot telescope that will search for extraterrestrial life by detecting the heat that alien civilisations may produce.
The proposed instrument — called Colossus — would measure 77 metres which is more than double the aperture of any telescope yet constructed. It is expected to cost $1 billion. The telescope would be sensitive enough to spot cities or other signs of aliens for planets as far as 60 to 70 light-years from Earth, astronomers said.
“If we had an investor come and say ‘look, here are the resources you need’, we could have the telescope built within five years,” said Jeff Kuhn, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy, who is on the proposal team. In searches for extraterrestrial intelligence, astronomers generally focus on seeking out beamed signals from other civilisations. In four decades of searching, nothing definitive has been found, SPACE.com reported.
There are limitations with this method, however. Perhaps the aliens might not send out signals themselves. Perhaps they broadcast in channels humans wouldn’t think of using. Moreover, humans should perhaps be cautious about sending out signals and alerting more advanced civilisations to their presence, as physicist Stephen Hawking has said.
This is where Colossus can shine, Kuhn said. The telescope is a passive receiver that allows astronomers to seek out extraterrestrial without alerting them to the search.